Written By Elaine Bean
As formerly published in The Courier.
Some consider painting outdoors – officially called painting “en plein air” – a sport. All the common elements are there. Training, practice, equipment, gear, lists, scouting, execution. The weather: heat, sun, rain, wind, humidity. And a winning performance with the clock ticking and prize money at stake.
Picture yourself painting a masterpiece in these conditions, a spot where Ocean Pines artist Jill Glassman will soon find herself on Aug. 18, painting in the annual “Artists Paint OC Quick Paint” competition on the Boardwalk. At stake: recognition and prize money.
Getting ready for the event is like prepping for The Big Game. “I have my plein air list and my game plan I’ve developed over the years,” she said.
Two weeks out: Glassman starts packing her gear – hardboard panels to paint on, oil and pastel paints, heavy-duty easel – and orders more paints and frames. Prep work begins – waterproofing, sanding and coating each panel with layers of gesso. She checks her easel for sturdiness and any repairs it may need.
The day and night before: Glassman scouts out locations to paint, especially if she’s in a new town, and is attracted to spots with good light and shadow. She packs up her car with her equipment, checking items off her list. A most important item is bug spray to protect from ticks, and Glassman wears long pants even in 100° weather.
8:45 a.m. Glassman’s on the famous Boardwalk in Ocean City, getting ready to “Quick Paint” an iconic scene in two hours. She spots other artists setting up their easels for the competition. It’s hot and humid. She’s found a little bit of shade under the awning of a souvenir shop to set up the easel and paints she hauled from her car. The shade isn’t to protect her from the sun but to keep her paints and canvas from drying out. By Glassman’s side are cold water and cans of bug spray and sunscreen.
9 a.m. Glassman starts painting. The Boardwalk is filling up with early-morning bikers who narrowly miss the legs of her easel. By 10 am. shutters are going up on the shops and so is the heat. Throngs walking the boards look over Glassman’s shoulder and want to engage in conversation. She chugs water and tries to concentrate. Her painting is filling in with the details. She tries not to drip sweat onto the canvas.
11 a.m. Paint brushes down. Glassman packs everything up and heads back to her car, where she frames her still-wet painting out of the trunk. The artist sits in the car in the wonderful AC for a few minutes to cool off, then heads through summer traffic to the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th St. to enter her painting into the competition with judging at noon and cash awards at 12:30 p.m. There is refreshing food and drink waiting for her at the Arts Center, where it’s time to slow down, visit with fellow painters, and hope to win The Big Prize.
By the time of this Sunday Quick Paint, Glassman will already have been painting outdoors for four days around the resort and county, along with 49 other plein air painters. They are all painting in the “Artists Paint OC Festival,” an annual program of the nonprofit Art League of Ocean City, from Wednesday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 18. The artists enter their best work on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the Arts Center to compete for cash prizes during the “Wet Paint Sales,” where the public has the opportunity to buy the work the artists just produced, including paintings by Glassman.
Why does Glassman go through the adventure and challenges of painting outdoors when she could be painting in her cool air-conditioned studio in the Pines? She participates in many plein air competitions around the East Coast, including the prestigious and hard-to-get-into event in Easton, Maryland, where, she said, she “almost passed out from the heat.”
“I like to compete,” Glassman laughed. “I’m competitive. It’s also fun because you see the same group of people all the time. It’s almost like having reunion every couple of months … And these festivals generate sales. Sales to an artist are a good thing.”
Born and raised in Baltimore and Pasadena, Maryland, Glassman moved to Ocean Pines in 2003. “We were looking for a little second home but fell in love with a house on the water,” she said. “I worked from home so that wasn’t a problem but my poor husband commuted from Annapolis for a year. We both love the activities available and that both of our children are here with our grandchildren.”
Glassman enjoys traveling for plein air competitions and the sense of community involved. “I love visiting new places, and plein air competitions give me the opportunity to do that,” she said. “Most competitions have host housing where the artists stay with host families. Of course, the artists give a painting to their host. This arrangement allows artists to travel all over the country. I also love to look at what my fellow artists are doing.”
“Art matters because it gives one complete freedom to express their emotions without words,” Glassman said. “Sometimes a person, especially children, doesn’t have the words to say what they feel. Edward Hopper said, ‘If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint’. In this day and age, I feel strongly that art and music should be a big part of school curriculum.”
The annual plein air event where Glassman will paint locally is hosted by the Art League of Ocean City. “A huge resource in our community,” she said. “I can’t believe how it’s grown from a dingy little concrete block building to its current Cinderella transformation. Rina Thaler [the Art League’s executive director] is one of the hardest working people I know. I’ve had the opportunity to take classes there from nationally-known artists, I’ve participated in group shows, and I’ve even taught there. I can’t say enough good things about it!”
The 19th Annual Artists Paint OC Festival runs from Aug. 14-18 with “Wet Paint Sales” at the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th St bayside on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. and Sunday from 1-3 p.m. All events are free, and everyone is welcome.